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Review: The Deadmeat Tour – Datsik and Steve Aoki

Axel — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:29:32 +0000

Last week I was fortunate enough to attend the Denver stop of Steve Aoki and Datsik’s ‘Deadmeat Tour’ at the Fillmore Auditorium. As a huge fan of both artists my expectations were pretty high to say the least (plus tickets were $50 a piece – ouch). The show was on a Thursday night so The Fillmore was only at half of its carrying capacity with around a couple thousand people in attendance. This was actually pretty refreshing as I am used to some of these shows getting so packed I can barely move my limbs or throw my hands in the air when the music calls for it. The crowd itself seemed a lot younger than usual (I felt old and I’m only 21), but I had enough drinks in me to never really feel out place.

Unfortunately we were running late so we missed the opening DJs, but we arrived to the show just as Datsik was starting his set. I am sure everyone is familiar with Datsik’s distinct style of low bass and heavy isolated wobbles. But, by the sound of his new material it’s clear that he is switching up his style a bit. I’m not going to sit here and say that Datsik has gone full “brostep” (god I hate that word) but from what I heard his style sounds like it is shifting away slightly from the isolated bass-heavy wobbles to incorporate more sounds from all over the spectrum. Datsik pulled this off perfectly with the style and swagger he has become iconic for. There were numerous times in his set where I noticed he was splicing more and more effects from the middle and higher register into his music. This new flair inevitably led to numerous orgasmic bass drops with a more ‘cultivated’ sound to them. Datsik definitely found a way to spice up his beats in a more refined fashion while also staying true to the grimey Datsik vibe we have all grown to love. His light show centered around a superimposed color-changing silhouette of himself DJing – set against an equally trippy background. It made for a pretty cool effect – nothing to write home about but still pretty neat nonetheless. Unsurprisingly, Datsik absolutely murdered the dance floor and melted my mind with his intense wobbles and crazy ass drops.

As expected, Steve Aoki put on yet another one of his high energy, ‘get-up and go’ shows. There weren’t too many surprises during his set, Aoki’s use of hard electronic/house music combined with his legendary stage presence definitely made for a sick show. Along with his name in huge glowing letters across the stage, Aoki’s visual display was largely reminiscent of his “I’m in The House” music video: somewhat bizarre, but in a unique avant-garde fashion. While I acknowledge Aoki’s presence is a huge part of his shows it felt like a bit too much at times. At certain points throughout his set he seemed way more concerned with blowing champagne into the crow and jumping around stage then actually DJing from behind the booth. Nothing wrong with this, but when it’s for 15 straight minutes it begins to lose its effect. The only bothersome aspect of Aoki’s set was that he only played for about an hour. I’m not sure if he was feeling sick or what but this just seems too short for the headlining act. Other then that Aoki pulled off an electronic massacre that left the crowd begging for more.

If you’re a fan heavy bass drops or high tempo house music then The Deadmeat Tour is definitely worth checking out. It was a great experience and I would highly recommend it to any and all EDM fans. Anything negative I said about the show was merely a matter of observation and was negated by the awesomeness of the music. Although the ticket price seemed a bit steep I can safely say that I have absolutely no regrets. Get out there and check it out for yourself!

The Deadmeat Tour

Korn – The Path of Totality Reviewed

Jordan Meeter — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:51:27 +0000

2011 was inarguably the year of electronic dance music albums. Many artists, including Excision, Porter Robinson, David Guetta, and Nero, veered away from the tradition of releasing tracks single by single or even by way of EPs. Unfortunately however, I felt as though amidst all the hype and attention created by the artists, I was let down after giving these albums a listen. Rather than feeling like a matured and complete work of art, many of 2011′s albums felt more like sloppy compilations of random and experimental tracks with maybe two or three ‘highlight’ tracks that really caught everyone’s attention.

Listen to: Korn – Get Up (feat. Skrillex)

I know it’s now January 2012 but it’s honestly taken me this long to truly figure out what my favorite electronic album release of 2011 was. I hit the gym pretty hard earlier and there was one album in particular that helped me slam some weight around: The Path of Totality from Korn. My initial reaction to that album was that a listener could really interpret the album in two ways: a dubstep compilation album featuring the vocals of Jonathan Davis; or, a Korn album featuring a bunch of dubstep artists. I know the latter is “technically” what the album is, but think about it for a minute: If you were to strip away the vocals and just have the instrumental versions of the track, I’m pretty sure the album would have been recepted a lot better by the dubstep scene. The emphasis on Korn’s sound is undeniable and I feel as though much of the individual dubstep artist’s trademark sounds are washed out.

Listen to: Korn – Way Too Far (feat. 12th Planet)

A major component of why I respect this album much more than others released in 2011 is the song structure and overall format. Many dubstep and even house tracks follow the same format in every damn track: 59 seconds of intro featuring samples from some obscure movie, a heavy drop, the main beat, a breakdown, the main beat, the main beat, fade out. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE electronic music, but that traditional format is just generic and overused. Korn recorded The Path of Totality in a traditional rock method, with a short intro, choruses, a bridge, etc. That for me means the album as a whole is going to be more satiating then just a repetitive beat over and over and over. I think electronic artists could learn a lot from this album.

Listen to: Korn – Tension (feat. Excision, Downlink, Datsik)

Korn has endured a lot through the years, but they’ve always proudly worn their nu:metal badge and have never shuddered in the face of their haters. For that reason, I am proud of Korn for taking this giant leap of faith and releasing this experimental album. Despite the heavy electronic influence, it truly is a Korn album at the end of the day. The unique vocals and ocassional “beatboxing” of Jonathan Davis are unmistakable and of course feature his deep lyrics that read much like lines from the journal of a twisted and dark man.

Love it or hate it, you can’t deny the effort and production quality that was put into this album, which is much more than I can say for some artists.

Listen to: Korn – Sanctuary (feat. Downlink)

If you enjoyed the tracks included in the post and want to support Korn and the artists he collaborated with, The Path of Totality is only $11.99 on the iTunes music store!

Skrillex – Bangarang EP Review

Jack — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 00:27:44 +0000

All right, so I’ll give you readers a quick warning: this isn’t going to be a very good article. Some might like to compare said quality with the quality of the EP I am reviewing – some might not. Either way, this article will be a review of Skrillex’s new release, “Bangarang”.

I’ve listened to this EP a good amount of times, in different scenarios. I tried listening to it whilst browsing the web, checking my email, visiting Reddit. I also tried listening to it whilst playing Battlefield 3, pumped up and shooting some Ivans. Both times I turned it off and cried a little inside. James Blake said dubstep now adays had “been influenced so much by electro and rave, into who can make the dirtiest, filthiest bass sound, almost like a pissing competition, and that’s not really necessary”. After listening to Skrillex’s “much-anticipated” EP I can’t say I disagree. DB9 user rnrmxcn28 summed up the EP in 15 seconds (actual 15 seconds from a song), and I’d say he did a pretty good job.

Skrillex & Wolfgang Gartner – The Devil’s Den [dl]

This EP features guests such as Wolfgang Gartner, Ellie Goulding and The Doors. I’ve seen better days for all of these artists. Wolfgang Gartner’s effort went into The Devil’s Den – the embodiment of a Gartner-Skrillex orgy, and it’s as ugly as it sounds. Whilst the idea was nice, it just sounds too much like someone messing around on Fruity Loops, trying to create an electro house remix of one of Skrillex’s songs, or a dubstep remix of one of Gartner’s songs, whichever you’d prefer. An admirable effort, I guess, but it doesn’t make this EP worth listening to. Ellie Goulding’s input was placed in the song Summit, a 6 minute-long intro featuring a sample of someone saying “eep”, repeated over 100 times. Whilst the thought was there, it still doesn’t make the EP worth listening to. The last song I can be bare to listen to again is The Doors’ latest attempt to scrape their way into the music charts, Breakin’ A Sweat. Not a lot to say about this, apart from that it seems The Doors’ input was minimal, which may or may not be a good thing, depending on how you favour both The Doors and this song.

Skrillex feat. The Doors – Breakin’ A Sweat [dl]

Heh, I didn’t think I’d be able to pull out more than one paragraph for this EP, but look at that – four! It seems that my respect is safely out of grasp for Skrillex, at least for the moment, while he continues to release generic crap such as this. I may get some hate for this review, heck I might even get a bad comment or two, but I’m not bothered. I’ll continue to look forward to releases such as Burial’s ‘Kindred EP’, coming out in January, whilst I wait for the hate to come in. No seriously, please, I practically feed on it.

Skrillex – Summit (feat. Ellie Goulding) [dl]

Winamp for Android review

Jack — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 15:29:02 +0000

I’ve used Winamp on my PC since the early 2000s and I’ve always accepted it as a great competitor in the music player market. When I got my HTC Desire in mid-2010, however, I continued to use the stock media player for a good year or so. Considering Winamp for Android was released in November 2010, it seems pretty stupid that I didn’t make the switch until about 3 months ago. Doing so, however, was one of the best decisions that I’ve made to do with my phone.

The GUI is of the category you would expect from a professionally made Android app: sleek, intuitive and shiny. One of the main problems I had was how to navigate back to the main page – I presumed that, as with many apps, if you hit the Back button enough times it would eventually go back to the main screen. I later discovered that you just hit the Winamp logo on the bottom right of any screen, so I guess that was just me being a little silly. Apparently, there are adverts in the non-pro version, but I can’t remember seeing any. Keep that in mind, though, if you’re a big protestor of ads on a free app.

If you use Winamp on your PC or Mac, then I can’t think of any reason to not switch to this free player. As a man who frequently loses his cables amongst others, one of my favourite features is the Wi-Fi syncing. One simply enables wireless syncing on the phone through Winamp, then goes to the PC and hits “Discover” under devices. After a few seconds, the phone will pop up on the screen and you can click-and-drag over songs, which Winamp automatically organises for you. It can also be enabled so it actually syncs over any music you add on your PC over to your phone, however that is hardly ideal for me when you consider my 10,000 song library and measly 4GB SD card. That said, I consider that being very useful for some.

One problem I had, which may be resolved in later versions, was that you cannot edit metadata in the app, you have to go to Winamp for PC, edit it there, then sync it over again. Not a huge problem, but definitely something I, among many, would find useful to be able to do. I also had a few issues with making Winamp discover my phone, but I just toggled the setting on the app and, lo, it was fixed.

The integration with the Android OS is another feature I feel worth praising, as Winamp boasts some very nice home screen widgets and a lockscreen player. There are 2 widgets, a 4×2 and 4×1 version, with and without album art respectively. The lockscreen was also another feature which I discovered a little after making Winamp my official Android music player, as it must be enabled in settings.

Images DO NOT open in new window…

In conclusion, Winamp for Android is a powerful, capable alternative to the default stock music player and it stands up to the name of its PC brethren which many of us use and enjoy. Featuring a professional version for just $4.99 which includes an equaliser, customisable home screen, FLAC playback (yay!) and more, there are features to please anyone on any budget. If you do not use Winamp for PC, then I might consider doubleTwist (for iTunes users) or PlayerPro (for those comfortable with spending a little). Regardless, Winamp for Android is a great app, and on that I feel worthy to sit in the position of my default Android player.

Why Sofi Doesn’t Need A Ladder

Jordan Meeter — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 11:10:04 +0000

deadmau5′s latest album 4×4=12 was hotly anticipated for several months, but at release of the track list, my excitement dwindled. The problem I find is that it is simply a compilation album, since I have already scrobbled half the album, and some songs even more than a year earlier (The earliest of which was deadmau5 – Everything Before first scrobbled in April of 2009).

My biggest complaint with the album, however, are the vocals. deadmau5 has had several brilliant vocal tracks, but none of these do it for me. Sofi Needs A Ladder which almost completely ruins You need a ladder and dropped all the Zelda tribute clips (albeit this could be because of copyright) is my peak concern, but I also don’t know why Joel thought Raise Your Weapon would be a better use of his Dub5tepthingie project. It just doesn’t fit.

Joel was quoted saying “To do an album, I’d need to take six months off. But the touring takes up all my time.” We, the fans, love the touring, and I’m glad Joel said “I haven’t felt like I’ve release an album yet” but I would like to see something as a complete work eventually…

On the plus side, I’m a huge fan of his more melodic tracks like Brazil (Original Mix) and Jaded so I was thrilled to hear a quality version of Right This Second instead of the youtube quality.

I guess the best to expect is a train of singles with an “album” released every once and a while. That said, when is October coming out??

PS This wagon is getting uncomfortably full…

This post was originally posted on last.fm by user oruwu, and has been reposted with permission.

New Flux Pavilion EP – Reviewed

Jack — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 13:35:15 +0000

The much anticipated Flux Pavilion EP Lines in Wax is set to come out in less than a week, and I have reviewed these tasty tunes. I’ll say I’m somewhat pleased, but again I am seeing the phenomenon I call “The Flux Effect”.

Before I go into the review, I wish to explain the Flux Effect and why it annoys me. The Flux Effect is simply a template where the song starts with an intro (which we will call A) goes into the main tune after a drop (which we call B) and then repeats this process. If you want to look at it in algebra of sorts, it looks like this: ABAB. Seems very boring, and it is if done incorrectly. If you listen to most Flux Pavilion songs, you will see that they tend to follow this layout. For example, Meathead, definitely is set down by this rule, but it does not mean it is a bad song. Meathead was, and still remains to this day, one of my favourite dubstep tunes. The Flux Effect can be pulled off very well, and the creator does it the best.

Onto the review then, the EP begins with ‘Lines In Wax’ featuring Foreign Beggars, the best thing to come out of England since apple pie and Depeche Mode. The song has distinct Foreign Beggars sound which you can hear coming through straight from the beginning. Then comes the juicy drop, and I feel this release is onto a good start. It’s great to see artists throwing in a rock of variation into the music pool, and Flux Pavilion has thrown in a boulder.

Download audio file (Flux_Pavilion_feat_Foreign_Beggars_-_Lines_in_Wax_Clip.mp3)

Next is ‘Hold Me Close’, infinitely the worst track on the EP. Not just because the name instinctively makes you hum ‘Tiny Dancer’ by Elton John, but also because it follows the Flux Effect in an extremely pedestrian way. It’s too monotonous and repetitive for my liking, so there’s not a lot else I can say about it.

Download audio file (Flux_Pavilion_-_Hold_Me_Close_Clip.mp3)

Thirdly, is the anthemic ‘I Can’t Stop’, which managed to bring a furrow to my brow in pleasant disbelief. This song manages to vary from the tedious dubstep (of which Flux Pavilion always manages to tip to on the edge of this) yet keep the great sound of Flux Pavilion, and his roots that we do enjoy. I personally feel that this is the best song on the EP, as it takes some balls to release something as disputable as this.

Download audio file (Flux_Pavilion_-_I_Cant_Stop_Clip.mp3)

Last but not least is ‘Haunt You’. This song offers some nice vocals and a couple of breakbeat style parts, giving it some nice change from the rest of the EP. Although the calmest song on the EP, it is definitely worthy of the Flux Pavilion name.

Download audio file (Flux_Pavilion_-_Haunt_You_Clip.mp3)

So, all in all, a pretty good EP but nothing that we haven’t seen before really. Also, next time you listen to some dubstep (usually newer stuff) try to pick out the Flux Effect and see who’s grasped at it.

Borgore Ruined Dubstep, Part 2 (Review)

Jack — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 21:32:12 +0000

The 13th of September saw the release of ‘Borgore Ruined Dubstep Pt. 2′, or more specifically the digital version. If you haven’t peeked down yet or gathered by the title, this is going to be a review, so get ready!

First on this bombshell is ‘Kinder Surprise VIP’ with my favourite producer, Tomba. This was one of the songs to appear on the reduced vinyl edition (even if it was amusingly mislabeled as Tombo) along with 2 others. You can hear Tomba’s trademark sound come through on this one, with the amazing beat from Borgore. The drop on this one is a biggun, so listen on loud speakers.

Next up is ‘Afro Blue’ a cover of the original John Coltrane Quartet version. Well, not so much of a cover as it is an epic 16-bit dubstep journey through jazz and beyond, but I’ll let you decide.

Then we come to ‘Money’. This is where Borgore’s expertise flourishes, as we once again experience the eloquence and sophistication that he has to offer. Just kidding, it’s about Borgore being poor and not being able to afford condoms or a dentist. Old habits die hard, eh?

‘The Bitter Orchestra Girl’ provides us with what we expect from Borgore – gore. Minimal vocals, minimal intro and maximum filth. Even if it may be “same old stuff”, it’s still a pleaser, and one of my favourites from the EP.

Kavsrave – Quotes [2010]

Freisenberg — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 23:08:24 +0000

Kavsrave is the name of Jamie Kavanagh, a dubstep producer from South London that brings house-shaking basslines with synth-smothered RnB vocals and wonky video game beats. Having grown up with Joy Orbison, the producer of 2009′s revered anthem “Hyph Mngo”, it’s no surprise that Kavanagh was picked up by Numbers. The A side “PClart” has a gigantic bassline drop a minute in, complimented by sweet RnB vocals and a wonky atmosphere. The AA side “Tightly Closed” has 2562-like percussion–strong and sparse—that is layered between a heavenly female “oooooh”ing. Dripping reverb is present on both sides of this wonderful 12”, constantly tugging at the listener with the power of the bass. Kavsrave is new to the dubstep scene as a producer, but having grown up with Joy Orbison and A1 Bassline, it’s not surprising that he’s produced such huge tunes already.

Kavsrave – “PClart”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APvmv06l0ZQ----escape_autolink_uri:efabb21a47c1067747e8492a93007103----

Kavsrave – “Tightly Closed”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvCN5iuwNy8----escape_autolink_uri:efabb21a47c1067747e8492a93007103----

Quest – “Smooth Skin”

Freisenberg — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:45:49 +0000

Quest is an up and coming dubstep producer from West London. His single “Smooth Skin” off 12” MEDI028 gradually pulls you into an intoxicating beat for seven minutes of bliss. Quest stops the beat and reorganizes the harmony with a new edge every minute, each new synthesis clearly the work of a dance-music addict. Such is unsurprising considering the aptitude of his DEEP MEDi label mates—dubstep’s original pioneers such as Mala, Loefah, Coki, and Silkie.

Quest – Smooth Skin
Download audio file (01-quest-smooth_skin-dps.mp3)

Gemmy – “Maroon Chant” / “Last Three Digits” [2010]

Freisenberg — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:52:16 +0000

Gemmy hails from Bristol, UK, a place that has been putting out some of the hugest dubstep tunes in 2009 and 2010. Along with mates Joker and Guido, they are the forefront of what is known as the “purple” sound in Bristol–”It’s not a genre, but purple is the colour we all get along with,” says Joker. The three have a love for video games, synths, and huge basslines. “Maroon Chant” is no exception–a ground-thumping bass that is complemented by a wonky atmosphere with an occasional, quick, gorgeous wobble. The B side, “Last Three Digits”, has the same intense bass with great percussion. Released on Earwax EAR014, already sold out at Boomkat.

Maroon Chant/Last 3 Digits by GEMMY